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Make safeguarding your business - speak out against hate crime

11 October 2017

Barnsley’s Safeguarding Adults Board is lending its support to National Hate Crime Awareness Week (14 to 21 October) and is renewing its plea to Barnsley residents to report any incidents of hate crime against the borough’s most vulnerable people.

The Board brings together key partners to keep Barnsley adults safe and works to help people to live a life free from abuse and neglect

Organised by 17-24-30 and Stop Hate UK, National Hate Crime Awareness Week aims to bring people together to remember those who have lost their lives to hate crime and assist those who need ongoing support.

Cllr Margaret Bruff, Cabinet Spokesperson for People (Safeguarding) said: “This week is about bringing people together; to say that there is no place for any form of hate crime in our communities, with the objective of making our communities safer places for everyone.

“Low-level everyday harassment goes unpublicised and often unreported, despite it having very damaging and long-term consequences for victims and their families Being called a name because of prejudice may appear to be trivial, but if it happens all the time to the same person it becomes damaging and can affect self-esteem and confidence, reinforcing feelings of difference. Intimidation such as this happens constantly in the daily lives of people with learning and/or physical disabilities and/or mental ill health.

National data has revealed that of a total of 88,000 adult victims of hate crime between 2013 and 2016, 32 per cent were victims of a disability-motivated hate crime. (Office of National Statistics).

Around 60,000 hate crimes take place against disabled people nationally every year, but the majority are never reported.

Hate crime can include verbal abuse, offensive jokes, hoax calls, abusive phone or text messages, hate mail. It may be physical assaults such as hitting, spitting or punching, criminal damage like graffiti, breaking windows, and damaging cars. It can also be online abuse such as bullying or offensive messages via Facebook or Twitter

It can also be displaying or circulating discriminatory literature or posters, bullying or intimidation by children, adults, neighbours or strangers or being singled out and treated differently by others because they view someone to be different from themselves.

Hate Crime may be one-off incidents or systematic abuse that continues over periods of weeks, months or even years and may occur between strangers who have never met, between acquaintances or within the family.

Barnsley Council and South Yorkshire Police are working with partners to raise awareness about hate incidents and crimes and how to report these.

Anyone who sees abuse or has concerns about someone’s safety is urged to report it by calling 01226 773300 or emailing adultsocialservices@barnsley.gov.uk.

For out of hours concerns call 0844 984 1800 or ring the police on 101.

In an emergency, if the person is in immediate danger, call the police on 999.

People can also report any incidents by text to 61009 starting with the word HATE and a short message saying what help is needed.